Don't Go To Sleep
by EmeraldMuse
Summary: Lloyd's horrible nightmares grow worse, and he goes to Raine for help. When Colette mysteriously disapears with an ominous message written in blood on her wall, the two set out on a journey to find out what's going on. LloydxRaine
1. I Couldn\'t Sleep Last Night

Don't Go To Sleep...

Chapter One: I Couldn't Sleep Last Night...

_It was during the attack in which the Desians burned everything down and either killed the citizens or sent them to the human ranch. The Desians gathered around him. They started circling and chanting, at first too inaudible to hear. Then it group louder and louder into a deafening roar. 'It's all your fault, all your fault, Lloyd, hahaha your fault!' The boy unsheathed my swords, but the blades just ended at the hilts. He charged at them, broke through their circle, and ran into the surrounding forest. He could see their torches burning brightly as they chased after him, still chanting. He jumped into a ravine and him in a broken log. 'No escape, no escape, hahaha no escape for the traitor!" they were yelling now. Twigs snapped under their feet, but they didn't find the boy. Their torches faded into the distance, and he decided to put more ground between him and the demonic intruders. He ran from the log in to a clearing. It was like any normal clearing, only...it was littered with the dead bodies of the town members. The bodies...they started to get up. But they weren't the villagers anymore, not quite. Their eyes were all glowing, and their bodies were going through hideous transformations right before his eyes. He backed away, but they staggered towards him as one, chanting just like the Desians. "You did this to us, Lloyd! You turned us into monsters! You killed us!" They let out piercing shrieks of agony as they advanced on the terrifies young man. He ran back in the direction of the burning village. He saw Genis, his back turned to his face. He tried to call out, but no sound escaped him. Genis turned and - it wasn't Genis. It wasn't a dark, twisted version of him grinning demonically. He put his hands on Lloyd's shoulders, forcing him to look into the glowing red eyes. "You made me like this Lloyd. It's all your fault!" "N-no!" he shouted and broke away from his former friend's grip and ran in the opposite direction as the evil Genis just laughed. He ran right into Colette. She was hung from a noose, her limp body dangling three or four feet above the ground. Again he couldn't produce any sound. Her head lifted; or was it his imagination? No, her body began to twitch and spasm violently as she began to fade away. "Your fault, Lloyd" he heard faintly before she disappeared completely. He ran to the town square, where he was greeted by equally frightening versions of Sheena, Regal, Presea, Zelos, and...Kratos. They closed in as he woke.  
_

"Hey guys!" Genis shouted, rushing up to Lloyd. "Look what I got!" He was presenting a new kendama, with spiky adornments on the sphere op the weapon.

"Uhm, cool" Lloyd stammered. "Where'd you get that?"

"At the market. I used the last of my share of the money from our journey! Neat, huh?"

"That's for sure. Um, hey Genis? You mind if I have a moment with Raine?"

"That's Professor Sage, to you!" she declared angrily, coming out of her house smacking him on the head.

"Oh, Professor! I didn't know you were there" Lloyd apologized. "Anyway, I was hoping for a word with you."

"Oh, sure. Genis why don't you go play with Colette for a little while?"

"All right!" he happily skipped off, his kendama bouncing as he went.

"Come inside, Lloyd. It's a cold day. Wouldn't want you getting sick and missing your studies, now would we?"

"Of course not." He said a bit too quickly, still rubbing the bump growing on his head.

"I'll make some tea. Sit down, Lloyd. Make yourself comfortable." She left into the kitchen.

Lloyd surveyed the modest home Raine - er, Professor Sage had purchased with her share of the journey's profit. It was a definite improvement from that old one room shack they used to live in. They still were in residence of Iselia, of course. Raine went back to teaching the town's school, and Genis got to stay with his friends. No doubt, a special bond had grown between the members of their quest, an unshakable psychic link to each other. It had been a year since they had defeated Mithos and brought the war over mana between Sylvarant and Tethea'lla to an end. Still...he felt a lot closer to Raine than he had before they originally left Isealia. He found himself watching her when he had the chance of secrecy. He hadn't realized it before, but she was beautiful. He had matured, both physically and mentally over the journey; he was a man now. He had started to have interests and feelings never before experienced in the growing man's life. He could imagine Raine and he together, even, sharing a cozy little home, falling asleep on the couch by a smoldering fire, in each others arms every night-

_Whoa, whoa, whoa!_ He thought. _What am I doing? Am I fantasizing about Raine? That's wrong!_ Although...the thought didn't seem half as wrong as it would have before he was banished. Why was he thinking about such things, especially after what happened last night.

Lloyd was still scolding himself mentally when Professor Sage returned with the tea.

"Here you are, Lloyd"

"Uh, um...yeah thanks" He said too quickly, trying to keep any thoughts about them together out of his mind. He couldn't help it. She was just so...perfect! Beautiful, witty, caring, and not least of all, smart! Really, really smart. They weren't that far apart in age, only two or three years. And what did age matter in love?

_What am I thinking?_ Lloyd wondered, horrified at the thoughts racing through his mind. He was abruptly brought back to reality to Raine's face looking slightly annoyed.

"Huh? Sorry, Rai - er, Professor Sage. Were you saying something?"

"Yes" she said, mildly agitated. " I asked what you wanted to see me about."

"Well, ever since Kratos - Dad, went back to lead the Cruxius angels, I've been having these...weird dreams. At first, they were just that; funny-strange dreams. Until lately, they started getting more serious. Sometimes I wake up in my bed trying to scream, calling for help, but I can't get the air. Through my gasping I can hear a voice whispering 'Don't go looking for him.' It's always a woman's voice, and then she screams...she wails until I have to cover my ears and hide my head in between my legs convulsing with fear..and something else. I don't know why but I feel angry. Then, just last night, I had the worst nightmare so far..."

Lloyd tried to mentally console himself. He took a sip from the mug of hot tea in his shaky palms.

He told her about the nightmare, Raine got up from her chair and knelt down beside him and held him.

"I woke up to the same voice, the same woman screaming-" his voice broke. "I think it's more than a nightmare, I think some force is trying to contact me. It's trying to lure me there, wherever 'there' is. It said it would take someone I care about it I don't come to it"

She held him and never wanted to let go. That was a strange thought. He rubbed her back affectionately.

"It's okay, Lloyd. Don't talk anymore..."

"Thanks Raine, I feel much better just being around you. I - I really like you, Raine" She didn't hit him this time. Indeed, she blushed furiously. What is he talking about? He means as a friend, of course...or did he? On their journey, she had seen Lloyd grow enormously. She had grown fond of him. _No, don't think like that! We're just friends!_ Really? That voice in her head asked her. How do you really feel about him? _Oh, this is absurd!_ She thought back at herself. She pulled away. He was gazing into her eyes. Did he really like her as more than a friend? Did she have feelings for him too? And what was this nightmare about?"

"Raine! Raine! Colette's missing!." Genis came running up, panting. "Phaidra told me she was gone when she got up this morning, and there was a message written in blood on the walls.

"What did it say?" Lloyd demanded.

Genis whispered "Only Lloyd can save her now..."


	2. Progressions

**Chapter 2: Progressions**

"Raine."

"Yes, Lloyd?" Raine popped her head back out from the kitchen.

"Dirk isn't going to be home for a couple of days, some friends of his needed his crafting skills over in Triet. Normally I'd be fine, but...well, um, I was wondering if maybe I could-"

"Say no more, Lloyd. You can stay with us until Dirk gets back." _Why was I so quick to say that?_ Raine wondered. "Besides, we need to figure out what's going on. We need to save Colette."

"It's all my fault she's gone!" Lloyd exclaimed angrily.

"Lloyd, you can't blame yourself. You didn't do anything. You couldn't have known." He smiled at her thankfully.

"You always make me feel better, Raine." he complimented her. She blushed furiously.

"I...I didn't really do anything." she responded, looking at her hands which were folded in her lap.

He was in front of her now. Using his hand he tilted her chin up so he could gaze into her eyes. Lloyd felt kind of awkward, he didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it. They were only about half a foot from each other, and the gap was closing. Raine didn't know what was going on. _What am you doing?_ She shouted mentally, but she just closed her eyes and let things take their course. Three inches, two...

**_SLAM!_**

Genis came running in the door, kendama bouncing wildly. By the time he got to the living room, Raine and Lloyd were already both flushed, glaring down at the floor.

"What's wrong, guys? You guys weren't like, kissing or something were you?" Genis inquired.

"Uh, uhm, well you see-"

"Relax, Lloyd, I was just kidding. Anyway, I was talking to Colette's grandmother, and she said when she woke up this morning the words on Colette's wall were gone."

"What!" Lloyd exclaimed, his close encounter with his first romance all but forgotten in his current confusion and rage.

"Genis, Lloyd and I need to talk. Will you go to Phaidra and get more details please?"

"Sure." he replied solemnly. He trotted off back to Colette's.

Both half-elf and human blushed more furiously than before.

"Well, Llyod, now that we have a bigger house, we have a guest bedroom you can stay in. Unless you don't want to be alone, then you can sleep in Genis's room with him."

"Well, Professor, I was wondering if I could stay in your room tonight" _What did I just say!_ He mentally exclaimed. "Well, it's becuase I want you to be there in case there are any new developments. About the nightmare, I mean. I have a feeling something is going to happen." he quickly explained. "I mean, I can sleep on the floor"

"Oh, well, I guess that's alright. Sure, Lloyd, you can stay in my room tonight. I think we both need to figure out what's going on."

_ Later that night _

"Lloyd, I've changed my mind. You can't sleep on the floor. Get up right now."

"What?" he asked. "Aww I was almost asleep!"

"Get up in here in the bed."

"What?" he said a little bit too loudly.

"We don't want you getting sick. It's a very cold night, and we only had that one spare blanket. Get up here now, no arguments."

"Alright" he mumbled as he noisily clambered into the warm bed with her. He laced his fingers into hers, to Raine's great surprise and pleasure (_What's going on?_ she wondered again), and gave her hand a reasuring squeeze. He couldn't conceal his feelings for her any longer.

"Raine? Can I tell you something?

"Sure, Lloyd." she was comfortable with his firm stomach pressed against her back, sharing his body heat. "What is it?"

Snoooooooooore. Lloyd was fast asleep. He was a clumsy, oblivious idiot. But he was her idiot. What!_ Oh, forget it_ the voice said. _A blind man could see the attraction between you two_! Raine grinned as she snuggled sloser to him and evetually fell asleep too. Both of their nights were free of nightmares.

**A/N:** Yeah, I wanted a more romancy chapter. I don't really like it, but i wanted to write and get some updates done. That and I couldn't think of how to update the plot. Don't worry, next chapter will be better!


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